Germany's foreign policy perspectives

By Christoph Hasselbach, Michaela Küfner|14.03.2019

It has been one year since German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government set out to make a policy push toward a more united Europe. So what has Berlin actually achieved over the past 12 months?

EU and German-French Relations

"A new dawn for Europe" — Germany's pledge toward the EU is enshrined in the title of the coalition agreement between Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), their Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU) and their junior partner, the Social Democrats (SPD). Indeed, the EU outlook forms the very basis for the coalition government that Merkel has led over the past 12 months.

Brexit and growing populism across Europe threaten the bloc's stability and momentum, but Berlin is also reluctant to embrace EU enthusiasm a la Emmanuel Macron. The French president has persistently prompted Germany to help build Europe into a strong protecting power, and proposed concrete measures. But Merkel has remained elusive on many demands, preferring symbolism instead, like renewing German-French friendship vows in the Treaty of Aachen.

Instead she let her successor as CDU party leader — and potentially as chancellor — Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, reject many of Macron's key ideas for Europe, many of which point toward a common welfare system. While Kramp-Karrenbauer backs a joint EU migration policy and more defense cooperation, she said "European centralism, European statism, the communitarisation of debts, the Europeanization of welfare systems, and the minimum wage would be the wrong approach" in her point-blank refusal to simply sign up to Macron's vision.

She even went as far as questioning the second base of the EU Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg and calling for an EU seat in the UN Security Council. Both would be large concessions for France. Diverging weapons export policies also remain in the way of closer military cooperation, something for which both countries have signed up.

The Visegrad states of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary continue to resist Berlin's drive toward an EU asylum policy that would include the EU-wide distribution of migrants. The authoritarian tendencies of the Polish and Hungarian governments are straining relations with Berlin.

Germany is no longer calling for EU payments to be dependent on cooperation on migration and EU values. It appears the government wants to avoid any move that could buoy populist sentiments ahead of EU elections in May.

Washington and the EU Commission in Brussels have managed to force significant changes to the project. The fact that France's opposition made that interference possible in the first place is a bitter pill to swallow for Berlin.

Tackling the root causes of migration increasingly dominates Germany's relations toward African countries. It was not until the migration crisis of the past few years that the chancellor framed Africa as a strategically important partner.

Most recently, she traveled to Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria as well as Algeria and Morocco. There, she defended the UN Compact on Migration as a "clear commitment to multilateralism and stressed that legal migration also creates prosperity."

The conservative-led coalition has reaffirmed its commitment to relations with the United States. However, Berlin is decidedly sober about working with the administration of US President Donald Trump. Washington's cancellation of the Iran nuclear deal was heard in Brussels and Berlin as a wake-up call to develop both national and European political and military capabilities.

A trans-Atlantic trade war is off the table for now, but still regarded as a possibility in the future. Merkel has responded to Trump's "America First" doctrine by calling for increased multilateralism. At this year's World Economic Forum, she pledged that one "must also think of others' interests to create 'win-win' situations."

Donald Trump on Germany: Top quotes

The good, the bad and the ugly

US President Donald Trump has offered both candid praise and unabashed criticism of Germany and its policies. From calling German Chancellor Angela Merkel "possibly the greatest world leader" to describing her open-door refugee policy as a "catastrophic mistake," here are his most memorable quotes regarding Germany.

Donald Trump on Germany: Top quotes

'Greatest'

"Germany's like sitting back silent, collecting money and making a fortune with probably the greatest leader in the world today, Merkel," Trump said in a 2015 interview with US news magazine Time.

Donald Trump on Germany: Top quotes

'Very bad'

"The Germans are bad, very bad ... Look at the millions of cars they sell in the US. Terrible. We'll stop that," Trump said during a NATO leaders summit, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel, which cited sources at the alliance's meeting.

Donald Trump on Germany: Top quotes

'Something in common'

"As far as wiretapping, I guess, by - you know - [the Obama] administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump said in March during a press conference with Merkel. He was referring to his unproven allegations that ex-President Barack Obama tapped his phone. There was widespread anger in Germany in 2013 when it was revealed the US National Security Agency tapped Merkel's phone.

Donald Trump on Germany: Top quotes

'Illegals'

"I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals (sic), you know taking all of the people from wherever they come from," Trump said in a joint interview published by German daily Bild and British newspaper The Times, referring to Merkel's open-door policy for refugees fleeing war and persecution.

Donald Trump on Germany: Top quotes

'Germany owes vast sums of money'

"Despite what you have heard from the fake news, I had a great meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO and the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany," Trump said in a two-tweet statement after meeting with Merkel for the first time in March 2017.

Donald Trump on Germany: Top quotes

'Turning their backs'

"The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition," Trump tweeted in the midst of a row within the German goverment. He went on to claim that: "Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!"

Asia: Human rights, tech and investments

German policy in Asia remains dominated by China; the coalition agreement identifies not just "opportunities" but also "risks" in relation to this strategically important partner. Berlin and Brussels are carefully monitoring China's Belt and Road strategic investment initiative and have pushed for equal access to markets and investment opportunities where China keeps pushing back.